FAQs
Products
The Christmas trees end up getting very fiddly as you get to the point of them, and the stitches do end up being more on one needle than others!
We recommend in the notes of the pattern that as the knitting gets fiddlier, you can change from three needles to two and then knit with the third. This will make it a lot easier.
Don’t be scared of moving the stitches around on the different needles either when you get to the point if you need to.
To prepare the heel for the socks, you’ll need to knit two rows on one needle in ‘waste yarn’. This is a yarn that is a different colour to your sock (so you can see the difference), that you will either cut or unpick once you’ve finished the socks, and it just holds the stitches in the right place for you to shape the heel at the end.
The waste yarn is only knit on one needle (N3) – knit all 11 stitches on N3 then turn and purl all 11 stitches. You can then carry on with the knitting of the foot and return to these later on.
There are a lot of abbreviations on row 16, which on the first read, looks quite confusing! Take it slow, and place the markers where it says to (PM) and purl, and knit where it states.
When you then get to row 17, you’ll need to start increasing. You’ll need to make a stitch (M1) on either side of the knit stitch sections before you reach the stitch marker. When it tells you to knit to stitch marker, in a few places, this is only knitting one stitch. Once it starts to grow, it will all make sense.
Just read the pattern slowly, do exactly what it says to do and it will all start to make sense!
We regularly get asked, when knitting a dropped sleeve jumper or cardigan, why in some patterns the smaller sizes have more rows for the sleeves.
This is because, with a dropped sleeve design, the ‘body’ of the garment covers the shoulders and some of the arms. Since the body panels are narrower for smaller sizes the seam where the sleeve joins is higher so we have to knit the sleeves longer to compensate.
We all have a similar arm span whether ‘small’ or ‘large’ so because the larger the size jumper, the wider the body means that the sleeves don’t have to be as long. So when the pattern says ‘add ** extra rows for medium and *** for small’ this is why.
OK so, plenty of brand new knitters have started with the Dreamy Oversized Cardigan so it’s definitely doable but we always recommend starting with a smaller and super simple project to get you into the swing of things.
If you’ve never picked up the needles before, we always recommend starting with the Scarf, Duet Cushion, or Blanket.
Having said that, if the Cardigan is the only thing you want to knit and you are determined, it’s certainly possible! Our Facebook group is amazingly friendly, encouraging, and helpful too (we’re always here to help of course but the Facebook group will give you varied perspectives and if we’re busy or it’s out of our working hours they’re often quick to reply)
Short Answer: Just follow the pattern babes. It’ll all make sense soon!
Longer Answer: For a number of reasons we often design our items to cast off on the cuff, so when you start knitting the sleeve, you’re knitting the shoulder part of the sleeve and as you go on you will come to the rib at the end.
Orders
All of our knit kits now come with a PDF download of the pattern and on each listing, you have the option of adding a (free) hard copy to your order.
Regardless of whether you tick the box to receive a hard copy or not, you’ll receive a PDF version. This can be found in your order confirmation email as a link. If you have an account with us (and you were signed in when you order) your link will also be in your account in the ‘downloads’ section.
The same goes for pattern purchased, if you purchase a pattern by itself it is always a pdf download. They can be found in your order confirmation and in your account.
We are more than happy to add to your order once you’ve placed it.
As long as your first order is still in ‘processing’ or ‘packing’ (so we’ve not already sent it) just place a second order and let us know in the notes at checkout that you’d like us to send them together. Please let us know the order number ie ‘Please send this with order 12345’ so we can match them up easily. We can then refund your postage on the second order if applicable.
*When we’re busy we cannot guarantee we’ll see all the orders quickly enough to combine them so there is a chance your first order will be despatched before we see your second order. If this is the case we will not refund the second delivery fee as we’ll have to send it separately.
Assuming you’ve typed the correct email address in with your order you can expect to receive the following emails from us (please check your junk folder in case they end up in there):
1. Confirmation: An order confirmation email from us which you should receive immediately (if your order includes a pattern, the pattern will be in your order confirmation email.)
2. Status: An update when your order changes status (it’s likely to move to ‘Packing’ which means we’ve printed it and it’s in our pile.) We try to print orders quite quickly so it may be in ‘Packing’ for the longest.
3. Despatch: When your order is complete and has left us, you’ll receive an email to confirm and if it has tracking the details and tracking number will be included in this email.
We also recommend creating and logging into your account before placing an order as all your order information will live in your account along with any patterns.
Delivery
We do!
We offer International delivery on all our products. Delivery costs are based on weight and calculated at checkout.
Please note that international orders take on average 5-14 working days to arrive, but will take longer during busy periods.
We ship all over the world, including the EU. Since the recent Brexit changes, we have to complete further customs forms for your order.
Please do make sure all your contact details are correct, including your phone number, when placing an order to the EU. We have had issues with couriers not being able to contact recipients and when this happens, orders are returned to us.
We have been advised that orders under £135 will not be eligible for additional customs charges.
We ship all over the world and if for any reason your country isn’t showing on the delivery page, just drop us an email.
Shipping costs have recently increased, with the biggest increase being to the US. We price all of our shipping on the weight of the item, using the Royal Mail calculator. We add a small amount to cover our packaging, but aside from that, we don’t make any profit on shipping. If for any reason it ends up being less expensive than quoted, we will refund the difference.
All of our knit kits now come with a PDF download of the pattern and on each listing, you have the option of adding a (free) hard copy to your order.
Regardless of whether you tick the box to receive a hard copy or not, you’ll receive a PDF version. This can be found in your order confirmation email as a link. If you have an account with us (and you were signed in when you order) your link will also be in your account in the ‘downloads’ section.
The same goes for pattern purchased, if you purchase a pattern by itself it is always a pdf download. They can be found in your order confirmation and in your account.
If your order status says ‘Packing’ it means it’s on our list and not left us yet. We try to keep our Contact Page up to date with rough despatch times and updates if there are delays so that’s a good place to check if you think it’s been there a while. I also try to give updates on Instagram stories when I can but appreciate not everyone will see those!
If your order status says ‘Despatched’ then it’s on it’s way to you and you should have received an email letting you know. If the value of your order was over £30 you will have a tracking link on your despatch email which you can click on to find out where it is. We do not have control over Royal Mail so if there is an order stuck in the system RM advise us to leave it 30 days before it is considered lost.
If it’s been a strangely long amount of time since your order was despatched please check both your tracking details and that the address on your order was correct. We will always do our best to help as much as possible.
Our despatch times vary depending on the time of year and how busy we are but we’ll always be going as fast as we can I promise!
Normally we’re really on top of orders as it’s our priority to get you knitting ASAP but sometimes we have to wait on deliveries etc.
In general your order will take:
– 1-5 working days for Mini Mohair or Super Chunky knit kits & yarn,
– 1-2 weeks for Jumbo and Giant yarn products
– Up to a month for commission knits (Giant Knit Blankets and hand knit cardigans etc)
If you ever need anything urgently (for a birthday etc) then please let us know in the notes section of your order and we’ll do our best – if it’s REALLY IMPORTANT that it makes it on time please email us first to check we can manage it.
Returns
We price our yarn differently when it is part of a kit or a bundle, meaning you save money, so we don’t offer the option to return any leftover wool that hasn’t been used as part of a kit or a yarn bundle.
We’d totally recommend building up a yarn stash – you never know when you might need some of that exact colour again :p otherwise – use it to knit your pal a special gift!
We hope you’re in love with your LAD order but if for any reason you’re not happy with it, as long as it’s in the same condition you received it then we will gladly take it back for exchange or refund within 30 days of you receiving it.
If you could let us know it’s coming via email and whether you’d like an exchange or refund we’d appreciate a heads up. And please pop a note in to explain as whoever in the studio might not know what to do with it otherwise.
Our address is:
Lauren Aston Designs Ltd
The Old Ticket Office,
Holman Way,
Topsham,
Exeter,
EX3 0EN
Please note we do not cover return postage or the postage paid on your order. If you would like a replacement (and the product is not faulty) we do ask for the postage to be covered on sending out the exchange.
